After hearing those words, Qin Zhi Ai finally understood Lin Rong’s main role here.
On the day for Old Master Gu’s birthday, Jiang Qian Qian had personally witnessed Qin Zhi Ai standing on the street for a few hours waiting for Gu Yu Sheng. Jiang Qian Qian had wanted to embarrass her that day but in the end, Qin Zhi Ai had managed to slip away by pretending to be suffering from period pain. Thus, Jiang Qian Qian specially brought Lin Rong here today to take revenge for her previous disgrace.
If a man truly likes a woman, he will definitely treat her well…… Other people would not understand the hidden implication in those words, but Qin Zhi Ai could.
Jiang Qian Qian was merely using a different method, which only she and Qin Zhi Ai would understand, to tell Qin Zhi Ai that Gu Yu Sheng does not like her.
If the real Liang Dou Kou were to take back her place right now, she might actually explode and start a fight with Jiang Qian Qian. What a pity for Jiang Qian Qian that it was Qin Zhi Ai in front of her. Qin Zhi Ai had never liked being made the brunt of someone’s joke. Hence, she smiled faintly and nodded, her expression serene and tranquil, as if she was absolutely unaware of what Jiang Qian Qian was implying, and said, “What Qianqian said is right.”
This attack that Jiang Qian had planned for a long time was repelled back lightly as a feather. Naturally, she wasn’t happy, but her face smiled even brighter. “The truth is, Lin Rong isn’t as great as you guys say. He simply likes pampering me a lot. Aren’t all men the same? When they encounter the person they like, they will spoil them to the heavens……
Jiang Qian Qian suddenly tilted her head, her expression becoming somewhat serious. “……But, did you guys know? I have this one friend. She’s truly tragic; her husband doesn’t treat her well at all……”
Most of the people in this room were women and were always interested in gossip. Jiang Qian Qian’s change of topic naturally made everyone place their attention on the words on her lips.
“That friend, you know. She kept harassing and pestering this certain rich guy until he married her. But even though they’re married, that rich guy doesn’t like her a single bit. He even slightly hates her! You wouldn’t believe this. I saw with my very own eyes this one time… She and her husband had arranged to eat out, but in the end, her husband made her wait in the sun by herself for three hours before he finally came……”
Say if Qin Zhi Ai hadn’t known from the beginning whom Jiang Qian Qian was alluding to, with these words, there was no way she wouldn’t know that Jiang Qian Qian was talking about her.
But she was even clearer of the fact that Jiang Qian Qian was longing to fall out and quarrel with her, so that everyone would know that the person Jiang Qian Qian was talking about was her.
Qin Zhi Ai held her cup of hot tea with both hands, leaned against the sofa and with a smile on her lips, assumed the pose of complete outsider simply listening to a story.
Seeing her expression, Jiang Qian Qian’s eyes darkened a little, and then she added, “……It was right in the middle of summer. She waited in the scorching sun for three hours.”
“My goodness, that woman could actually continue to wait that long?”
“If it were me, I would have snapped ages ago. What would I want a man who doesn’t treat me well at all for?”
“Didn’t you hear what Qianqian said? That woman insisted on pestering him.”
“Then you can only call that woman lowly and cheap……[1]”
[1] 贱 (jiàn) means: lowly, cheap, base, vulgar, contemptible. So they’re saying that she is cheap, has no dignity or class, low moral conduct.
Best Dead, Lest Be A Hindrance (4)The people listening to the story expressed words of criticism of all kinds. When a person said the words “lowly and cheap,” Jiang Qian Qian turned to look at Qin Zhi Ai with a big smile on her face. Her eyes flickered with an obvious, uncontainable joy.
Qin Zhi Ai pretended she didn’t see. She cast her eyelids down, and calmly drank a mouthful of tea. She then lifted her head, and borrowing the words that were just said, she calmly spoke. “No matter how cheap that woman may have been, she still managed to pester him until she obtained the man she wanted. There’s a woman I know who hassled and pestered a man for three years and still didn’t get him.”
Jiang Qian Qian and Liang Dou Kou were the same age and went to the same high school as Qin Zhi Ai.
Jiang Qian Qian pursuing Wu Hao was a sensation that everyone at school knew about.
Even now, Qin Zhi Ai and Xu Wen Nuan were very good friends. She was crystal clear of what Jiang Qian Qian did in high school.
Since Jiang Qian Qian was using this indirect method to embarrass her, then she would use the same method to fight back.
Qin Zhi Ai coolly swept a glance at Jiang Qian Qian. Jiang Qian Qian didn’t seem to have noticed that Qin Zhi Ai was talking about her, and was eating the grape Lin Rong was personally feeding her with a smile on her face.
Qin Zhi Ai’s eyes flashed and she continued her story. “During the period of time that female student was pestering that male student, every morning she would deliver breakfast to him. That male student threw that breakfast into the bin right in front of her. And in that way, that female student continued to deliver breakfast to that male student every day for three years.”
After Qin Zhi Ai finished her sentence, she cast another look at Jiang Qian Qian. Jiang Qian Qian had finally noticed that Qin Zhi Ai was talking about her. The curve of her smile looked slightly stiff.
Qin Zhi Ai’s lips curved into a smile, and copying the way Jiang Qian told her story earlier, added, “The most extreme action she took was stripping in a karaoke room to seduce that male student.”
“This sort of woman is even more disgusting.”
“Yeah. At least that other woman is that person’s wife. While this one is nothing. She degraded herself for three years. Practically cheap and despicable to the lowest degree[1].”
“Right, stripping in a karaoke room, that’s really……”
Everyone’s words grew more and more over the top with every line.
In the end, the smile that Jiang Qian Qian had been desperately trying to keep had turned slightly distorted.
The more difficult it was for Jiang Qian Qian to smile, the more Qin Zhi Ai determined to make her smile.
Hadn’t she made her suffer from nausea and disgust just before? In that case, Qin Zhi Ai would repay her twice-fold.
She didn’t care what deep feud Jiang Qian Qian had with Liang Dou Kou but she, Qin Zhi Ai, would not weakly stand by and let Jiang Qian Qian bully her and not retaliate.
Qin Zhi Ai then picked up the grapes that the waiter had just placed in front of her and held it out to Jiang Qian Qian. “You like grapes, right? You can have mine.”
Not only is she going to make her smile, she’s going to make her smile at her and say thank you!
Jiang Qian Qian chest heaved for a short while before she managed to force out a smile that looked uglier than a crying face, and then exerted a lot of effort to squeeze out the words, “Thank you.”
[1] Previously explained word 贱 (jiàn) – lowly, cheap, etc was reused here
Best Dead, Lest Be A Hindrance (5)It wasn’t that Qin Zhi Ai didn’t sense that when Jiang Qian Qian said “Thank you,” the expression in her eyes was so ruthless she looked like she eagerly wanted to rip Qin Zhi Ai into two.
However, Qin Zhi Ai purposely pretended she didn’t detect anything, and gave Jiang Qian Qian a light smile, generously replying, “You’re welcome.”
At this point in time, the more nonchalant and calm she appeared, the more pent-up resentment the other party would build up.
And sure enough, as Qin Zhi Ai had predicted, after she gently and lightly said the two words, ‘You’re welcome,’ Jiang Qian Qian was so angered her shoulders trembled.
Since as early as high school, Qin Zhi Ai had already known that Jiang Qian Qian was not a sort of person who would take matters sitting down after suffering humiliation and defeat.
This was still in the beginning stages. Qin Zhi Ai didn’t know what kind of trouble Jiang Qian Qian would stir up out of nothing if she continued any further.
Furthermore, if Qin Zhi Ai stepped back and left now, Jiang Qian Qian would have absolutely no choice but to suffer in silence. She wouldn’t be able to vent her resentment even if she wanted to, making it even more difficult for her to bear.
Following that train of thought, Qin Zhi Ai put down her cup. “You guys keep having fun. I’m going to soak in the hot spring for a while.”
After that, Qin Zhi Ai turned around and called for a staff member to prepare a bathing suit and a towel for her.
……
Qin Zhi Ai intentionally found a small unoccupied hot spring located in the most hidden and concealed area in the resort.
She was the only person in this hot spring surrounded by tropical plants all over, isolated from almost all noise. The only sounds that could be heard were the bubbling sounds produced by the spring water flowing into the hot spring.
After the water was adjusted to the right temperature, Qin Zhi Ai chose a comfortable position to lie front down on the side of the hot spring and closed her eyes.
She had slept on the rattan chair in the sunroom last night. It was uncomfortable and she hadn’t been able to get a proper sleep. Even though she had caught up with sleep in the morning, after closing her eyes for a while, she started feeling sleepy.
Before Qin Zhi Ai went into the hot spring, she had handed her phone to a staff-member.
Just when she had fallen comfortably asleep, the staff-member ran in with her phone. “Miss, you have an incoming call.”
Qin Zhi Ai opened her eyes, and glanced at the screen of her phone that the staff-member was holding in front of her. The call was from the driver that Zhou Jing had arranged for her.
Qin Zhi Ai walked out of the hot spring, wiped her hands dry with a towel, thanked the staff-member, took the phone, and swiped the screen to answer the call.
As the signal was slightly weak inside the hot spring area, Qin Zhi Ai couldn’t hear what the driver was saying. She said “Please wait a moment,” into the phone, and then walked outside.
……
Jiang Qian Qian, who hadn’t been able to reap any benefits or satisfaction in the previous clash, had been feeling a bit sulky and moody ever since Qin Zhi Ai left.
Possibly because her heart was restless and frustrated, after soaking in the hot spring for a while, she felt uncomfortable all over. She draped a towel over her shoulders and came out of the hot spring pool.
She had originally wanted to find a staff member to get them to deliver a cup of water, however, after walking around and around the place, she unexpectedly saw Liang Dou Kou standing on the pavilion outside talking on the phone.
Jiang Qian Qian hesitated for a brief moment and then ran to the back of the Chinese rose plant behind Liang Dou Kou. Straining her ears, she started eavesdropping on Liang Dou Kou’s phone call.
Best Dead, Lest Be A Hindrance (6)“The car’s broken down? You can’t come to pick me up? There’s no need…… I’ll find a way to get back to town myself…… I haven’t, it’s the housekeeper’s day off today, there’s no one at home….. Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to help me think up ways to call a car over, a lot of people drove here today. Later, I can just hitch a ride back to town…… Mm, no problem…… Bye.”
After she ended the call, “Liang Dou Kou” stood there for a while and then went back inside with her phone.
Only then did Jiang Qian Qian slowly walk out from behind the Chinese rose plant.
She tilted her head down and stared at place that “Liang Dou Kou” had been standing just moments before for a while. She then lifted her head up to look at the dark cloudy sky and remembered that the morning weather forecast had said that there would be a rainstorm tonight. Suddenly, a light flashed across her eyes.
……
The weather hadn’t been that good the entire day. By the time Qin Zhi Ai had finished soaking in the spring, had a bath, redid her makeup, and returned to the private room, the sky was densely covered with black clouds. It was so dark; it was almost like night-time.
As the weather had suddenly worsened so badly, many people were worried that when the rainstorm started, they wouldn’t be able to return to the city[1], and one after another started suggesting they call it a day.
Before one of the girls, who had a pretty good relationship with Liang Dou Kou, was going to leave, she asked Qin Zhi Ai, “Xiao Kou, how will you be getting back? Will anyone be coming to pick you up?”
Qin Zhi Ai was about to say, “The agency’s car broke down,” but Jiang Qian Qian, who was by the window in the middle of chatting with Lin Rong, suddenly turned her head and said in a loud voice, “Of course Liang-jiejie has someone to pick her up. When I was soaking in the spring before, I accidently came across Liang-jiejie talking on the phone with Sheng-ge[2], saying that she’d be getting Sheng-ge to come and get her.”
Since when did she call Gu Yu Sheng to tell him to pick her up? Qin Zhi Ai frowned, and was about to ask Jiang Qian Qian that question when Jiang Qian Qian tilted her head and spoke again while beaming at Qin Zhi Ai with a harmless expression. “Liang-jiejie, could it be that when you were talking on the phone, Sheng-ge didn’t agree to pick you up? When I left the house at noon today, I heard my big brother say that he and a few others were going to play cards at Gold Jade Splendour[3]. Don’t tell me that Sheng-ge has the time to play cards but doesn’t have the time to pick you up?”
“Sheng-ge’s gone too far! I’ll ring him right now!” Jiang Qian Qian pouted, put on an indignant expression and took out her phone from her bag.
The purpose of this whole self-directed, solo-act, which Jiang Qian Qian had gone through a lot of trouble to put on, was probably to prevent Qin Zhi Ai from hitching a ride.
But Qin Zhi Ai had to admit that Jiang Qian had made an exceptionally good move this time.
Even though she knew Jiang Qian Qian’s objective, she had no other option but to play into her hands.
This was because she couldn’t let Jiang Qian Qian ring Gu Yu Sheng. If he didn’t answer, it’ll still be fine, but if he did answer, and heard that she was getting him to pick her up, she didn’t what he would say. Jiang Qian Qian would then find the right moment to make a big fuss out of nothing, and with so many girls from distinguished families here, the news that Gu Yu Sheng hated Liang Dou Kou’s guts would spread through all of Beijing in a flash.
Leaving aside that fact that she would have failed her task and wouldn’t be able report back to Liang Dou Kou, she herself wasn’t willing to let other people make a laughingstock out of her either……
[1] As the hotspring resort is in the outskirts/suburbs of Beijing, returning to the city/town simply means returning to the central city area.
[2] 哥(gē) means brother. Is used to call your older brother or an older male you’re close to. Sheng is part of Gu Yu Sheng’s name, so she’s calling him Brother Sheng.
[3] 金碧辉煌 (jīn bì huī huáng) It’s probably a hotel that exists in Beijing. Couldn’t find the English name so I translated it directly.
Chapter end
Report
|
Donate
Oh o, this user has not set a donation button.
|